Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden in Kāne‘ohe draws more visitors each year than any of Honolulu’s gardens — a whopping 730,000 in a year. But the garden made news in March when the Kona low storms sent torrents of water through the lush landscape.
Parts of the garden remain closed for cleanup, which continues as a new master plan is emerging for Hoʻomaluhia from the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Parks and Recreation.
To learn more about the cleanup efforts, HPR spoke with Joshlyn Sand, the director of Honolulu Botanical Gardens.
Heavy rains during the past Kona low storms displaced dirt and debris into the garden’s lake shore and degraded several pedestrian paths and popular gathering areas for scenic views.
These areas have since been blocked off from the public, but progress by the Department of Parks and Recreation to restore and reopen the garden has been fast-paced.
“I'm happy to announce that we're already repaving that extensive path from the education center to the fishing bridge,” Sand said, estimating about three to four more weeks until the day-use area and fishing area would be able to reopen.
The recovery comes at an opportune time as Hoʻomaluhia staff continue to develop their master plan for the garden in an upcoming community workshop.
The Parks and Recreation Department has been developing its master plan for Hoʻomaluhia since November of 2025 by inviting members of the public to offer feedback and ideas on improving the garden, and now they plan to present their new concepts to the public.
“Nothing is, you know, set in stone, but we do have some ideas and some concepts for people to react to,” Sand said. “It costs a lot to live in Hawaiʻi, and these are the places that make us want to stay home and make us enjoy where we live. And our idea is to preserve that for our keiki into the future.”
The Hoʻomaluhia Master Plan 2nd Workshop will be held on Wednesday, April 29, at Windward Community College. More information can be found here.
This story aired on The Conversation on April 28, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
